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Contrabass list Mon, 30 Mar 1998 Volume 1 : Number 32
In this issue:
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 19:49:26 -0500
From:
"Emerald1" <emerald1@megsinet.net>
Subject: Vito Contrabass
<<Not coiled and to low C? Well, Leblanc makes a plastic "Vito/Holton" Model of it's student contrabass clarinet. It only goes down to Low Eb, and is straight. It retails for around US$2000.>>
>Jason-
>I've been searching for a ContraBass Clarinet for about 5 years now. I can't
>afford a new one of the "coiled" or other Pro models, so would prefer a used
>instrument.
>Not finding anything, I decided I could settle for one of the LeBlanc Vito
>models, rather than nothing at all. Then, I found that no stores stock them.>You have to order directly from the factory. However, the factory doesn't
>have any either. They apparently only make them once in a blue moon. About
>six months ago, I was told that there was a six month wait before any would
>become available. Two months ago the wait had increased to ONE YEAR!
>By the way, your US$2000 estimate is several years old. I think they are up
>to about $2500 now.>Fred McKenzie
The list is now us$3,725; they sell through Brasswind & Woodwind for $2,286. And I believe that they have some(minimal) in stock. My friend ordered his and recieved it a week and a half later. It's quite a good horn, very comparable to the "pro" straight Leblanc. (I believe that, besides the body material, they are virtually identical!)
Tristan
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 10:15:23 EST
From:
DGross1226 <DGross1226@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Used
Contrabass Clarinet
In a message dated 98-03-29 17:12:33 EST, you write:
<< I've been searching for a ContraBass Clarinet for about 5 years now. I can't afford a new one of the "coiled" or other Pro models, so would prefer a used instrument.>>
Several weeks ago I posted to KLARINET that Charles Bay is selling his fully restored (by Charles Fail ) LeBlanc straight contra to low Eb. I doubt whether he's asking more than $2K for the horn. I'm at home now and my Rolodex is at work, but he does have an 800 number for Bay Clarinet Products or try area code 805 (Westlake Village, California) information. Good luck!
Don Gross
La Canada, California
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 08:27:18 PST
From:
"Mats 0ljare" <oljare@hotmail.com>
Subject: Compositions_
>Yep. Do you have players lined up yet? Need a place to post the
>recordings? ;-)
No,the next piece to be completed is probably the trio for contrabass clarinet, contrabassoon and percussion(marimba,tubular bells,glockenspiel).It's a kind of harmonic/tonal investigation,quite like Braxton's music.The horns play mostly contrapunctal parts in it,the tuned percussion plays a kind of harmonic lineout.It would be very nice to have the piece performed,since i seldom get to hear that.The other works;"Passage"has only been started out on,"A Journey"is a very large work that will probably not be finished within 3 or 4 years and the other ones are mere sketches so far.However,if somebody wants to play the piece,i might put a little more work on that side.Also half-started is a piece for wind ensemble featuring the contrabass clarinet,bass flute and contrabassoon).So long,
Mats Öljare
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/oljare
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 20:58:22 -0800
From:
"Jason Hsien" <jasonavhs@email.msn.com>
Subject: Re: Contrabass Clarinet (was Re: list V1 #30)
|Date: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 19:20:24 EST
|From: Fmmck <Fmmck@aol.com>
|Subject: Re: list V1 #30
|
|In a message dated 3/28/98 6:31:36 PM, Jason Hsien wrote:
|<<Not coiled and to low C? Well, Leblanc makes a plastic "Vito/Holton" Model
|of it's student contrabass clarinet. It only goes down to Low Eb, and is
|straight. It retails for around US$2000.>>
|
|Jason-
|I've been searching for a ContraBass Clarinet for about 5 years now. I can't
|afford a new one of the "coiled" or other Pro models, so would prefer a used
|instrument.
|Not finding anything, I decided I could settle for one of the LeBlanc Vito
|models, rather than nothing at all. Then, I found that no stores stock
them.
|You have to order directly from the factory. However, the factory doesn't
|have any either. They apparently only make them once in a blue moon. About
|six months ago, I was told that there was a six month wait before any would
|become available. Two months ago the wait had increased to ONE YEAR!
|By the way, your US$2000 estimate is several years old. I think they are up
|to about $2500 now.
|
|Fred McKenzie
Are you sure? It's right on Page 29 of the Fall/Winter 1997/98 Woodwind and Brasswind Catalog.
Here's the excerpt:
VITO CONTRABASS Model 7182 BBb, Resotone wood finish, one section case. VI7182 list 3725.00 WW/BW price US$2286.00
$2286 is definately not that much farther from US$2000, and it' s a straight Contrabass. Given, it's not wood, it's "Resotone" plastic, and WW/BW carries it.
It's not listed at the WW/BW web site because the web site isn't complete, but you can visit them at http://www.wwandbw.com/ and request a catalog. Their telephone # (Toll-free United States) is 1-800-348-5003.
Just ask them for a customer service representative and see what they can do for you. Normally, they are VERY good with instrument orders.
Let me know how your search with them turns out!
Jason Hsien
Student, Amador Valley High School
------------------------------------
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-Hobbes, Calvin and Hobbes
"I ated the purple berries! Ohhhh.... It tastes like... burning..."
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"Shaa..... Know What? Uh uh."
-The Vancome Lady, MadTV
A! WK[r]+++ YK- P&B--- DT+ SL+++ SK++ RR-- GDF--- PO I+ E42 H42 PonYiddish XSniff
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 09:10:21 +0200
From:
<Tommie.Naslund@era.ericsson.se>
Subject: LeBlanc
Vito contra
Before anyone of you decides to buy a new plastic LeBlanc Vito contra, I'd like to share my experiences.
One of the orchestras I've played in once bought a Vito of the obvious reason that it was cheap. I had major problems playing that thing! I tried for over six months before I gave up, and I'm patient! Very weak sound and difficult to play in the middle break.I've also played a couple of LeBlanc looped metal contras. All of them, even some very poorly regulated, has been much better than the Vito. I'd recommend an old looped metal over the new Vito any day.
Just saxophonists point of view.
Tommie Naslund
Stockholm, Sweden.
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1395/index.html
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 11:02:58 -0800
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re:
Straight Contra
At 03:14 PM 3/29/98 +0100, Tristan wrote:
>Why does everyone take pot shots at the straight contra!? If he's like me,
>then he doesn't want a curved model. Even though you typically must stand
>to play the beast, it is still a more natural playing posistion than on the
>incredibly awkward curved contra!!! Plus, the straight ones typically give
>far, far less mechanical trouble! You may disagree with me on this; but
>that's the way I find it!!! Also, I think we all know what looks cooler!!!
Well, I haven't tried playing a straight one myself. Why do you think the curved model is awkward? If anything, I think it gives one much more freedom to position the instrument where it can be played comfortably, sitting or standing. I'd also be surprised if the curved model has more problems than the straight model, as (a) curving the horn allows the linkages to be shorter, and (b) its their "pro" model.
As for cooler, there's no competition: its the octocontrabass ;-)
Grant
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 11:50:44 -0800
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re:
Contrabass Clarinet (was Re: list V1 #30)
At 08:58 PM 3/29/98 -0800, Jason wrote:
>It's not listed at the WW/BW web site because the web site isn't complete,
>but you can visit them at http://www.wwandbw.com/ and request a catalog.
>Their telephone # (Toll-free United States) is 1-800-348-5003.
Actually, its all there: you just have to know where to look. From the main page, hit the button that says "View Full Catalog Online". That takes you to a menu where you can select the "Woodwind" catalog. That takes you to a list of categories (like, "clarinet"), which takes you to a description of each page. Clicking there downloads a copy of the catalog page in Adobe pdf format (which you view with the free Adobe Acrobat reader): it looks exactly like the catalog page, and doesn't take very long to download.
Enjoy!
Grant
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 16:20:31 -0500
From: Bob
Thomas <thomas@usit.net>
Subject: Re: LeBlanc Vito
contra
Tommie Naslund wrote:
>Before anyone of you decides to buy a new plastic LeBlanc Vito contra,
>I'd like to share my experiences...> ...I had major problems playing that thing! I
>tried for over six months before I gave up, and I'm patient! Very weak
>sound and difficult to play in the middle break.
Maybe Jim Lande will chime in here. He relayed warnings to me from a mouthpiece maker about LeBlanc contra mouthpieces. And that was my experience, too - I was really disappointed in my Vito EEb clar and its LeBlanc mpc til I switched to one made by Woodwind. Big improvement. Maybe that was part of the problem with the school horn.
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 16:20:53 -0500
From: Bob
Thomas <thomas@usit.net>
Subject: Re: Double
register keys & altisimo
Grant wrote:
> ...Experimenting above the staff, I find that the altissimo notes above
>D *do* speak better with the RH3 key down...
Thank you. I've been looking for altisimo fingerings for the BBb clarinet but haven't been enjoying much success. That register is so easy on the bass cl and bass sax that I had assumed it would be the same on the BBb contra. Figured my problems were due to "missing" keys (side F#/C#, side throat Bb). Now I have another key to play with.(Of course if someone has already come up with an altisimo fingering chart for the LeBlanc BBb paperclip contra, I'd love to hear about it...)
>...Spending way too much time at the wrong end of the range......
Well, seems to me that one of the appealing things about the big horns is their huge range. ...blissfully spending way too much time at both ends of the frequency spectrum %}
End of list V1 #32